Roundup Top 10!

Putin and the Art of Political Fantasy by Walter Laqueur For some considerable time the element of fantasy in Russian political discourse has been strong (and growing stronger), not only at the popular level but in official statements.

When J.F.K. Secretly Reached Out to Castro by Michael Beschloss There was a meeting just a few days before the president’s assassination to discuss overtures to Castro.

The Forgotten Futility of Torture - An Analysis by Lawrence Davidson It has long been known that torture does not work. One can go back to the Enlightenment.

The Senate Drone Report of 2019 by Tom Engelhardt Looking Back on Washington’s War on Terror

They Said ‘No’ to Torture: The Real Heroes of the Bush Years by Jon Wiener Hidden in the Senate torture report are stories of some heroes—people inside the CIA who from the beginning said torture was wrong, who tried to stop it, who refused to participate.

The other story of Hanukkah by Jonathan Zimmerman How the Jewish holiday became distinctly, wonderfully, American

Dec. 14, 1799: The excruciating final hours of President George Washington by Dr. Howard Markel It was a house call no physician would relish.

Does Texas Care About the Truth in the Textbooks It Approves? by Christopher Rose Texas is Adopting New History Textbooks: Maybe They Should Be Historically Accurate.

Why 1940s America wasn’t as religious as you think — the rise and fall of American religion by Tobin Grant It’s common for people to believe that religion was always more vibrant in the past.

Lift the sanctions on North Korea by Christine Ahn and Suzy Kim "Instead of relying on the failed Washington policy of 'strategic patience' it is time for a bold move that will truly bring North Korea into the community of nations, leaving no excuse to delay addressing human rights – sign a peace treaty to end the state of war."